Love and Hope on New Year's Eve
by Prairie Flower
Summary: Laura, almost sixteen years old, has just one wish: Spending New Year's Eve together with her beloved Almanzo, but sometimes things turn out differently than expected. Laura is suddenly in big danger. Can Almanzo help her? And will Laura's wish still come true? Read this story to find out.
1. Chapter 1

It was three days before New Year's Eve when Charles stopped the wagon in front of Oleson's Mercantile. After receiving some extra money at work yesterday, he had decided to spend it on some late Christmas presents. The whole family was very excited, only Laura's mind was somewhere else. She glanced over to the Feed & Seed, hoping to see Almanzo, but the place seemed empty.

"Are you coming, Half-Pint?" Laura could hear her father's voice.

She sighed and jumped out of the wagon, ready to follow her family, when suddenly a tall, blond man left the mercantile. There he was: Almanzo.

Laura's heart started beating faster and a smile lit up her face. "Hi Manly," she greeted him delightedly.

Surprised, he looked into Laura's brown eyes and started smiling. "Hi Beth."

"Looks like you're out of supplies," Laura pointed at the box full of groceries which he carried in his arms.

"Well, my sister is visiting an old friend in Sleepy Eye," Almanzo explained, "and so I have to do the cooking all by myself. Maybe I'll try some hot cinnamon chicken tonight," he teased her.

Laura's face blushed immediately, and she looked to the ground. The whole incident had happened more than a year ago, but she still felt embarrassed when this topic came up.

Realizing that Laura felt uncomfortable, Almanzo tried to cheer her up. "I'm sorry, Beth," he grabbed one of her braids playfully, "I'm sure you can cook the best cinnamon chicken in town," he smiled at her.

Laura looked into his blue eyes, not sure what to do or what to reply. All she hoped was that she could show him one day. To change the topic, she asked, "What are you going to do on New Year's Eve?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Almanzo admitted. "I don't have any plans so far."

"Maybe you would like to join the New Year's Eve celebration at Nellie's restaurant," Laura suggested. "I'll be there with my family. There will be plenty of food and Mr. Oleson has ordered a firework from Mankato."

"Sounds great," he answered delightedly. "I think, I'll be there."

Laura's eyes widened. "Really?" she smiled and her heart jumped for joy.

"Really," Almanzo laughed. "But I have to go now. Doing some cooking," he looked at the box with groceries which he was still carrying in his arms. "See you, Beth."

"See you, Manly," Laura waved and watched him walking away. She still couldn't believe what had happened. During the last days she had been so afraid that Almanzo would join the celebration at Nellie's restaurant together with another woman, but now she knew that he wouldn't.

Laura sat down on the stairs in front of the mercantile and started dreaming. Almanzo would be there all alone, and she would take every chance to spend time with him. She closed her eyes and could picture him holding her close in his arms and wishing her a happy new year. She was sure this day would be special. She was sure the new year would be special. Laura was going to be sixteen soon, and she hoped so much Almanzo would finally see her as a woman.

"Laura? Laura?" Carrie jolted her out of her daydreams.

"Coming," Laura got up reluctantly and entered the mercantile.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days later Laura was busy in the kitchen, preparing some sandwiches and an apple pie. It was New Year's Eve, and that's why Charles had visited Reverend Alden to invite him to Nellie's restaurant, but unfortunately he had caught a cold and couldn't join the celebration. The Ingalls family felt very sorry for the preacher and decided to surprise him with some delicious food.

"Laura, are you sure you can handle this?" Caroline hurried to the door, putting on her coat.

"Don't worry, Ma. I'm almost finished and Reverend Alden's place isn't far away. I'll bring him the food and meet you all at the restaurant later," Laura replied.

"Thank you," Caroline rushed over to her daughter and placed a kiss on her cheek. "You're doing me a big favor. There's still so much work at the restaurant," she put on her scarf and opened the door. "See you later, Laura," she smiled, left the house and started her way into town.

Laura grabbed a basket and filled it with the tasty food. She was alone at home, because her father and her siblings were already in town, helping Mr. Oleson with the preparation for the firework. Albert and Carrie had talked the whole morning about this special event and even little baby Grace seemed to be excited, but all Laura could do was thinking about Almanzo. She reminded that day when he had hugged her for the first time. It had happened a few weeks ago, after they had taken care of his injured horse Barnum together. In her daydreams Laura relived this moment again, and again, and again. Being in Almanzo's arms, so close to him, had inflamed her love more than ever, and she couldn't wait to see him tonight.

Laura climbed into the loft to brush her long hair one last time. It fell in waves over her back. When she looked into the mirror, a smile flickered across her face. She was wearing her best dress and a new ribbon which she had bought in Oleson's Mercantile a few days ago. She looked as pretty as a picture, and she hoped Almanzo would notice. After using some lemon verbena, Laura put on her coat and climbed down the ladder. When she left the house, carrying the basket in her hand, she could see some huge clouds which darkened the sky. It was getting colder and a few snowflakes were whirling through the air. Laura sighed and started her way to Reverend Alden's place. She had walked for a while, still dreaming about Almanzo, when suddenly a strange old man blocked her way.

"Where are you going, young lady?" the old man asked her.

Laura was puzzled. She had never seen this man before, and he had an expression on his face that made her afraid.

"Are you all alone?" he grinned nastily.

"I'm almost home," was all she could reply.

"You better come with me, pretty little thing," the nasty old man grabbed her arm.

"No," Laura's voice was shaking. "No," she was extremely terrified, but the old man just laughed at her sardonically and tightened his grasp.

Laura was frozen in shock, but when suddenly the basket with the food slid out of her hand and hit the ground, the nasty old man was distracted for a moment. This was her chance. She reacted quickly and pushed him away forcefully, before she started running away.

Laura ran as fast as she could. She turned her head around and could see the old man chasing her. Panic-stricken she sped up. She raced up a hill, almost flying through the cold and snowy air. Laura turned her head around again, but this time she couldn't see the old man anymore. She continued her run, minutes felt like hours, before she suddenly stumbled over a root and fell to the ground. She got up quickly, looking around hysterically, but he wasn't there anymore. She was all alone. Still in panic, Laura leaned against a tree, trying to catch a breath. Her feet were burning, her lungs were aching and tears were streaming down her face. Desperately she tried to figure out where she was, but all she could see were huge snowflakes falling down from the dark sky.

Laura took a deep breath and started thinking. She remembered that she had run up a hill. Maybe it was the hill near her home. Maybe she wasn't far away from the little house at Plum Creek. Maybe all she had to do was running down the hill to be safe again. She took a few steps, but the icy wind almost paralyzed her tiny body. She fought against the cold, walking slowly through the snow, but it seemed that she was caught in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere.

With every minute Laura's feet got colder. Desperately she screamed for help, but the howling wind was so loud that she could barely hear her own voice. She was nearly giving up, when she suddenly noticed a faint light in the darkness. "A house. There must be a house," Laura whispered to herself. With new hope she made her way through the raging snowstorm. The light came closer with every step. She was almost there, when something hit her shoulder. It was a wall. The wall of a house. Relieved she started searching for a door and just a few moments later her hands could feel a doorknob. Using the last of her strength, she knocked on the door as hard as she could.


	3. Chapter 3

Almanzo entered the parlor with some logs in his arms and placed them carefully next to the fireplace. The sudden cold had surprised him while being busy with feeding the livestock, but thankfully he could make it back into the house before the blizzard started raging. On the one hand he was disappointed that the storm forced him to spend New Year's Eve all alone, on the other hand he was glad to be safe at home. He sat down in the rocking chair and started reading a newspaper, when he suddenly noticed something that sounded like a silent knock at the door. Almanzo couldn't imagine that somebody was still out in the storm, and so he thought the noise was caused by the wind, but then he could hear the knock again.

Startled, Almanzo got out of the rocking chair and opened the door. He could hardly believe his eyes as he saw a woman huddled on the porch. Her coat and bonnet were covered with snow. When she slowly raised her head and looked into his eyes, he was almost paralyzed in shock. This wasn't any woman. It was Laura.

"Beth? Oh my God, Beth!" Almanzo cried.

"Manly?" Laura's voice was barely above a whisper.

Almanzo bent down, lifted Laura up in his arms and carried her into the warm house. He helped her out of the snow-covered clothes and shoes and hung a blanket around her shoulders. He was so focused on what he was doing that he needed a moment to notice the tears that were streaming down her face. Her skin was pale, her lips were blue with cold and her whole body was shivering.

"What on earth happened, Beth?" Almanzo looked into Laura's eyes and touched her shoulder softly. He wanted to know what had happened to Laura, but somehow he was also afraid of her answer.

Laura was still in shock. Even though Almanzo's gentle touch made her feel safe, she couldn't speak.

Almanzo raised his hand to caress Laura's cheek. "Beth, what happened?" he asked her again.

Laura swallowed hard. "I was on my way to Reverend Alden's place to bring him some food," she said slowly, her voice shaking. "And there was this strange old man," she was unable to look into Almanzo's eyes. "And he grabbed my arm and..." her voice broke.

Almanzo could hear the blood rushing through his veins. The thought somebody could have done any harm to his Beth made him feel frantic. He cupped Laura's tear-streaked face in his hands, making her meet his gaze. "But he didn't hurt you?" His heart was pounding so fast that he couldn't stand the whole situation any longer.

"No, but I was so afraid," was all Laura could say before she fell into Almanzo's arms and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Almanzo wrapped his arms around her tiny body, holding her as close as he could. A wave of relief washed over him. She was safe. His little Beth was safe in his arms and for a moment he wished they could both stay like this forever.

Laura clung to Almanzo's warm body. She could feel gentle kisses he placed on her forehead, and she could hear words of comfort he whispered in her ear. With every kiss her tears subsided. With every word her fears decreased. Never in life she had felt so comfortable and secure.

Once again, Almanzo lifted Laura up in his arms and carried her to the rocking chair near the fireplace. He wrapped her in a blanket, hoping she would feel better soon. "You should rest for a while, Beth," Almanzo said silently.

Laura leaned back in the rocking chair. Her desperate run through the snowstorm had exhausted her so much that she was barely able to keep her eyes open, and so the dimmed light and the crackling fire lulled her to sleep soon.


End file.
